Brick Mayor John Ducey (D) then urged the governor and state to reconsider the decision and extend the grace period.

Well, that wish came true.

Today, the State of New Jersey said Brick and every other town in the state can now do that.

On Tuesday, Governor Murphy signed Executive Order Number 130 which will allow municipalities to extend the grace period for property tax payments due on May 1 to June 1 which certainly provides some breathing room for homeowners struggling in a struggling economy during the pandemic.

"Allowing municipalities the option of extending the grace period for May property tax payments is the right thing to do as many New Jerseyans are impacted financially as a result of this crisis," Governor Murphy said in a statement. "Leaders of towns and cities across the state have been trying to find ways to lessen the blow on local residents, and with this action, they are empowered to provide relief to homeowners as we continue to do everything possible to fight this pandemic."

Murphy said that under existing law towns are only allowed to apply for a grace period of up to 10 days after the property tax deadline without interest or penalty.

Executive Order Number 130 was needed because there is nothing within the law to allow municipalities to extend the grace period Murphy explained and so today's order cuts the red tape.

“When the coronavirus began closing businesses and industries, we began looking into ways to help people impacted. We researched and worked on the property tax grace period extension and we were confident that what we did was right and in line with past practices,” Mayor Ducey said in a statement. “Needless to say, when the State told us that the grace period was not allowed, we were disappointed and quite frankly, angry. We appreciate Governor Murphy listening to us and permitting us to help our residents.”

Ducey said that per the Council’s resolution from the April 14, 2020 meeting, the interest rate on late payments made until May 31, 2020 will be zero percent.

Payments made on June 1 or later will be subject to the statutory interest rates retroactive to the due date as mandated by law.